Introduction:
Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 (FGF23) is bone-derived hormone regulating phosphate homeostasis as part of a newly described bone-kidney axis. Several studies have demonstrated that elevated circulating FGF23 levels are independently associated with cardiovascular mortality.
Methods:
A systematic review was conducted according to Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology Group guidelines. Six databases (PubMed-Central, Ovid-MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, BIOSIS and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews) were searched for articles published between 2000 and 2014 examining the longitudinal association between FGF23 and CVD mortality among populations without prior CVD, Chronic Kidney Disease, or Diabetes. The review yielded 1,961 articles, of which 982 met the inclusion criteria. About 893 abstracts were excluded during the title and abstract screen, and an additional 92 after full text review. Only three articles met the review criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Data from selected articles were abstracted and independently assessed for quality by two reviewers. Summary estimates and associated 95% confidence intervals were included in fixed and random-effects models. The presence of heterogeneity was evaluated using a Q-statistic with a conservative p-value of 0.10. All analyses were performed using R library meta.
Results:
Data for 15,379 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The hazard ratio for quartiles two and four when compared with quartile one,the reference category, were 1.29 (1.06- 1.58; p=0.01) and 1.31 (1.077-1.59; p=0.0068) respectively. There was no significant difference in CVD mortality between the third and first quartile. There was also no evidence of heterogeneity observed (I2 = 0%, p = 0.611).
Conclusions:
This study found a U-shaped association between FGF23 and CVD mortality suggesting that either low or high serum levels increase risk for CVD mortality. Current strategies focus on lowering high levels of circulating FGF23, but little attention has been given to understanding optimal levels necessary to prevent CVD mortality. If this U-shaped relationship between FGF23 and CVD mortality is real, the possible links, causes, and mechanisms require additional research.